Hide and Seek
by Onileo
Summary: Hinata has just joined the Akatsuki, and she has her first training session with Zetsu. Things don't go as well as she expects, and she finds herself in an awkward situation. Zetsu X Hinata.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: This is a one shot for Protector-of-the-Fallen 'cuz Zetsu needs some love! Hinata is 21 here, as with all my stories.

You know the drill:

"**This is Zetsu's dark side**."

"_This is Zetsu's light side._"

Enjoy!

Hide and Seek

Hinata approached the grove of trees nervously, pulling her black cloak closer around her. It was her first time training with Zetsu since she had joined Akatsuki. She hadn't been around him much, but the few times she ran into him had left her feeling disoriented and a little creeped out. It didn't have much to do with his appearance, that she could handle. It was the way he talked to, and sometimes argued with, himself. The fact that he was a cannibal didn't help matters much either. A little shiver ran down her spine and she prayed to kami that he didn't get hungry while she was alone with him.

Glancing around, she looked for his tall form. He was supposed to be here already. Seeing nothing but the trees and an undisturbed rabbit, she sighed with relief. She was alone. A small frown crossed her features as a thought occurred to her. As far as she knew, he had never been late for anything. Well, she would just have to wait for him. Emboldened, she walked toward the clearing in the center of the trees. As she passed by the largest of the trees, she absently ran her fingers along the smooth bark. Dropping her hand, she paused when she spotted a lump lying in the clearing.

Walking over to it, a blush crossed her cheeks as she recognized the bulky fabric. It was an Akatsuki cloak. Zetsu's Akatsuki cloak. So he had at least been here. She knew he couldn't wear a regular shirt because of his mandible-like appendages, and the thought of him running around half naked made her blush deepen. Then another thought occurred to her. What if something had happened to him? What if he had been injured or captured and his cloak was the only thing left behind to find? Swiftly drawing a kunai out, she searched the area for any chakra signatures. There was nothing out of the ordinary, so she tentatively called out.

"Zetsu-san? Are you h-here?"

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Zetsu watched intently as heat crept up Hinata's neck when she stepped over to his cloak. He had been camouflaged against one of the trees, studying her as she approached the grove that served as their training ground today. He wanted to see how she reacted to a new place so he could pinpoint her weaknesses and strengthen them. But as she closed in on him, he found himself looking at her physical features rather than her actions in a strange environment.

She was quite pretty, he thought, with her pale lavender eyes and long, raven hued hair. Her skin was the lightest shade of peach and very smooth. Her rounded face and petite, curvy body gave her an innocent look that belied her abilities as a ninja. He hadn't realized how close she had gotten until she was almost upon him. Then the most incredible thing happened. Lifting her hand, she ran her fingers along the trunk of the tree...and right across his bare chest.

She hadn't realized it,of course. But Zetsu couldn't keep from holding his breath and closing his eyes, savoring every second of the brief contact. Her touch was feather light, and it triggered a wave of feeling within his body, one that had long been repressed. Because of his odd looks, he had long ago resigned himself to being alone. And so, he had buried desire and all its connecting emotions. But occasionally, like now, they flared to the surface with a vengeance.

As soon as she dropped her hand, his eyes snapped open. He slowly released his breath as he watched her walk over to where his cloak was lying. Her face turned an interesting shade of pink as she looked around. Her blush deepened before she pulled a kunai out of her weapons pouch and called out to him. Her timid voice sent his stomach churning, and he had to clamp down on his hormones and concentrate on what they were supposed to be doing. Pulling himself together, he answered her.

"_Ah, you've finally made it, Hinata-chan._ **Are you ready to begin?**"

Hinata spun around when she heard his voice. Nothing but empty trees greeted her vision. Frowning, she answered him. "Y-yes. But why are you h-hiding?"

"**This will be part of your training today.** _We'll make it like a game._" he said, his voice now coming from her left. Turning her head to face where she guessed he was at, Hinata nodded. Steeling herself, she fought away a twinge of fear at the sinister tone in his voice. She was fairly sure Zetsu's 'game' wouldn't fall under the fun category. At least not for her.

"_Good. It will be just like Hide and Seek. _ **I'll move around the trees, and I want you to try and locate my position.**"

That didn't sound so bad. Remembering she still had her kunai drawn, she started to tuck it back into her pouch, but was stopped by his dark side's voice. "**You're going to need that.** _Yes, when you find me, I want you to throw me your kunai._"

"H-hai." Hinata replied.

"**You have one hour to complete your task.** _Begin now._" Zetsu said, his voice coming from behind her again.

Spinning quickly, Hinata launched her kunai at the tree directly behind her. It buried itself into the bark with a dull _thwack_. Too late, he had moved already. Walking quickly over to the tree she had just assaulted, she retrieved her weapon and turned back around. Taking in every inch of her surroundings, she frowned. His technique was flawless. There was absolutely no physical sign that she wasn't alone. Activating her Byakugan, she went over the area again. And again she came out empty-handed.

Heading off to her right, Hinata started walking toward the closest tree. Standing still certainly wasn't doing her any good. Maybe if she kept moving, she would be able to make him slip up and flush him out. She had nearly made it halfway around the grove when the slightest leak of chakra caught her attention. Just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. Her faced brightened considerably.

Focusing on the location of the chakra flare, she tossed her kunai. The happy look faded as wood collided with metal. He must have just moved from that spot. But knowing where he had been didn't do much to tell her where he was now. At least she would know _when_ he moved, even if she didn't know where. Maybe if he did it enough times, she could detect a pattern, and figure out where he would go next. She would just have to keep trying.

Zetsu watched as Hinata wandered around the trees, trying to find him. Several times she had walked so close to him, he could have reached out and grabbed her. And once he could even smell the scent of her shampoo, lilacs. Every time she passed by him, he would move. As soon as he did, she would spin to where he was and launch her kunai at the tree he was just at. It was obvious from the look on her face that she was just letting him know that she knew he moved, not actually trying to hit anything.

The minutes passed as Hinata tried everything she could think of to locate Zetsu. The more time went on, the more frustrated she became, until a deep frown settled permanently on her lips. She began to feel like a rat in a never ending maze, or more accurately, like she was in a haunted wood, where she knew for sure there were ghosts watching her, but she couldn't see or hear them. Knowing he could see her made her want to fidget, but she resisted. She didn't want him to think she was weak. Finally at a loss for what to do, she stopped and slumped against the nearest tree.

Zetsu watched her pause and lean against a tree. Her aggravation hung in the air, the tension doing strange things to his insides. The trapped look in her eyes made his blood race through his veins. Ever since she had touched him, pent up desire had wrecked havoc on his body. He was trying to ignore it, but the feelings were being very persistent. Part of him wanted to close in on her, pin her to the ground and see if she tasted as good as she looked. The other part wanted to continue their little game, toying with her and seeing just how far she would go to find him.

"_Are you giving up?_ **There's only a few minutes left.**"

Hinata flicked her kunai in the direction of Zetsu's voice. As expected, it found its way into the bark of the tree and stuck there. "N-no." she answered in a small voice. "I'm j-just out of ideas."

"**If you decide to quit, we can leave.** _ But don't worry, we'll be able to work on it again tomorrow._"

"I w-want to keep g-going until t-time is up." she replied, a look of determination appearing on her face.

"_Very well._"

Hinata straightened and moved to retrieve her kunai once more. Starting her circuit through the trees again, she lost herself in thought, analyzing the movements Zetsu had made so far. There didn't seem to be any sort of pattern, he just picked a random tree and moved there. But he did do one thing that caught her attention. He only moved once she had walked past him. Maybe there was a way to eliminate at least some of the trees and narrow her choices.

Zetsu's heartbeat quickened as Hinata drew close to him again. He would have sighed, had he not been hiding. These distracting emotions were starting to become truly bothersome. She was right beside him when a bird suddenly took flight from the tree behind them, making her jump. One hand flew to her heart, while the other reached out for the tree to brace herself. And landed squarely on his chest...again.

The second her palm touched him, Zetsu's control snapped. Dropping his jutsu, he materialized before Hinata, and watched as her eyes grew huge an instant before her face turned bright red. Grabbing her hand, he pulled it away from his skin as if she had burned him. Fear washed over her when she saw the look on his face. It could only be described as hungry. His golden eyes bored into her pale lavender ones. Suddenly, he grabbed her other arm, and before she knew it, he had her turned around, back pinned against the tree.

"_I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. _ **You shouldn't have touched me**." he said quietly.

Oh Kami, he was going to kill her. She instinctively knew it. Time seemed to slow as she stared, frozen, into his mismatched eyes. He had opened his mandibles very wide and leaned close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. His skin smelled like the damp earth after a rainstorm, a strange, yet nice scent. Funny, the things you notice when death is near. She tried to fight away panic as he edged even closer, his bulky frame towering over her smaller one. Their bodies were nearly touching now.

What was wrong with her? She should be screaming, fighting, something. Instead she stood there, as helpless as a rabbit caught in a trap. Her breath hitched and a scream stuck in her throat as he tightened his grip on her arms and closed the distance between them. Gently, and with a little hesitation, he pressed his lips to hers. Hinata's eyes slid shut as she waited for the pain that would accompany her impending death. It never came.

Panic subsiding, Hinata cracked one eye open in disbelief. His body was still pressed close to hers and he had his eyes shut. His lips were slowly exploring her own, tasting her, savoring every second of it. Occasionally his tongue would flicker out and he would massage the sensitive flesh of her mouth. Then her brain started working again.

Was Zetsu actually just kissing her? It seemed that way. A small spark of hope allowed some of the nervous tension to ebb from her. He might not kill her after all. Following on the heels of her momentary relief was a fresh wave of shock. Zetsu was kissing her! This last revelation proved to be too much. Hinata's face turned ghostly white and her eyes rolled back in her head as she passed out.

Zetsu broke off his kiss as her head lolled backwards. Opening his eyes, he realized that she was no longer conscious. If he hadn't had her by the arms, she would have hit the ground by now. Letting go of her wrist, he wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her to lay down on the grass under the tree they were standing beneath. Slumping down beside her, he watched the rise and fall of her chest as guilt claimed a place in his mind.

"**Now look what you did. She passed out**."

"_Is she going to be okay?_"

"**This is what you get for being so impulsive.**"

"_I couldn't help it. It's not my fault._"

"**Yes it is. You should just eat her and forget all about this.**"

"_No. Leader-sama still needs her. Who's being impulsive now?_"

"**Shut up.**"

"_You can't deny that you enjoyed it._"

"**She is quite tasty.**"

Zetsu paused in his argument when he noticed Hinata beginning to stir. He pushed her hair out of her face and lightly stroked her cheek as her eyelids fluttered, then opened. Pale lavender orbs gazed up at him a few moments, then realization set in. Hinata's face turned bright pink as she remembered why she had passed out. With a small squeak of alarm, she abruptly sat up. Turning her head, she looked at the plant ninja, and found she didn't know what to say to him.

"Zetsu-san..." she trailed off.

"**Hinata-chan, what happened?** _Are you all right?_"

"You...you k-kissed me." she said.

A look of guilt crossed his face. And there was something else. Hinata saw the hint of deep sadness in his eyes. Unable to look into his eyes for long, Hinata dropped her head. He was probably quite lonely, she thought. Being a missing nin was difficult enough, but when your looks were as different as Zetsu's were, on top of having a split personality, the chances of finding love were pretty much reduced to nil.

She looked back up, sympathy written across her face, only to discover that his mandibles were slowly closing around his head. He had started to sink into the ground and she quickly grabbed his arm. "Wait." she commanded in a soft voice.

Zetsu paused and looked at her, the solid gold eye of his dark half the only thing visible through the hard greenery surrounding him. "Don't l-leave. It's okay, that you k-kissed me. I was just s-startled. I didn't know you f-felt that way about me." she said, her voice growing soft.

Hinata released his arm and he relaxed a little. She could now see all of his face; he was gazing at her with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. He certainly hadn't expected her to say that. "**Neither did I.** _Forgive me, Hinata-chan. I didn't mean to frighten you._"

She smiled shyly at him. "It's all right."

Zetsu dispelled his mayfly jutsu and sat before her, completely solid once more. He spread his mandibles wide, and she could see all the way down his naked torso. They sat in silence for a while, neither one sure of what to do next. Surprisingly, Hinata made the first move. Zetsu's eyes widened as she scooted closer to him. Placing one hand softly on his bare chest, she watched his face, in order to gauge his reaction. His breathing became rapid and his eyes took on an intense, lustful look.

Carefully, Hinata leaned towards him and cupped his black cheek in her hand. Lightly, she rubbed his skin with her thumb. It was smooth and soft. His eyes drooped downward under her touch. His black arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him. A pale hand found it's way to her hair, running the dark strands through his fingers. The texture of it reminded him of corn silk. Glad that she could give him some measure of comfort, Hinata closed the gap between them and kissed him. His eyes widened a moment before sliding shut, the hand in her hair closing in a fist.

She tasted even sweeter than the first time he kissed her. Needing more, his tongue snaked out and caressed her lips. A small sound escaped her and she opened her mouth for him. A little unsure of himself, Zetsu accepted her invitation and slid his tongue inside. He explored the inside of her lips and the tops of her teeth. When he encountered her tongue, she gently rubbed it against his. A groan escaped from deep within him as his body roared to life. His cold blood caught fire, sending waves of desire rushing over him.

Hinata inwardly smiled. The way he responded to her kiss made her feel bold and empowered. Sliding her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck, she tangled her fingers in his short green hair. She moaned softly when he deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue to the back of her mouth. Suddenly, the intensity was too much, and she couldn't breathe. Hinata pulled back, breaking contact. They were both panting heavily and neither one said a word as they locked gazes.

Embarrassed by her uninhibited actions, Hinata blushed and dropped her head. After a moment, Zetsu regained control of himself and released her. She didn't move away, however, just sat there, stroking his chest with her fingers. He was about to say something to her when a distant voice made the words stick in his throat.

"Hinata-chan! Tobi finally found you!" Tobi called out. He was nearly to the grove. Hinata's head snapped up, and she turned her head to look in the direction he was coming from. Turning back to Zetsu, she saw that he was sinking into the ground fast. He let one hand trail down her arm as he left, and Hinata couldn't help but feel a little irritated at being interrupted.

By the time Tobi reached her side, Zetsu had disappeared completely, only to reappear beside his cloak and swiftly put it on. Hinata was still sitting on the ground, breathing heavily and flushed. Tobi plopped down beside her. "Wow, Hinata-chan! Zetsu's training must be really hard!" At this, her face got even redder.

"T-tobi-kun. Did you need something? Or did you j-just stop by to v-visit?"

"Oh, yes! Tobi almost forgot. Leader-sama wants to see you. He said he had a mission for Hinata-chan!"

Standing up, Hinata looked over to where Zetsu was waiting silently. He nodded to her, and begin sinking into the ground, heading back to the base. She didn't miss the content look on his face or the hunger in his eyes just before his mandibles closed over his head and he disappeared completely. Turning back to Tobi, she smiled at him. "L-let's go. We can't k-keep Leader-sama waiting."

Hinata headed out of the trees, and back toward the base. The last hour had been the most surreal experience in her life. It would be very interesting to see what happened the next time she had to train with Zetsu. She had found a side of him that she was sure no one else had ever seen. She had a feeling that she would still be nervous, but fear had nothing to do with it.

The End


End file.
